Only half of UK business prepared for emergencies
Only half of businesses and other organisations have adequate plans in place to deal with emergencies such as severe weather or computer problems, according to a new report from the Cabinet Office and the CMI
Most firms are "dangerously under-prepared" for a crisis, a study by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Cabinet Office has suggested.
A survey of 900 businesses showed that nine out of 10 were hit by last December's heavy snow, but fewer than half described extreme weather as a significant threat to their business.
Ruth Spellman, CMI chief executive, said: "Some business leaders have taken an ostrich approach to planning, simply burying their heads in the sand and hoping that they do not have to deal with the worst. Neglecting business planning is reckless in the extreme and it represents a huge failure of management in the UK."Just ask Eurostar, who were found to have no plans in place for the tunnel breakdown in December, which led to travel chaos for customers and a disaster for their reputation."
According to Keith Tilley, managing director UK for SunGard Availability Services: "During the recession we have seen a drop in the organisations testing their business continuity plans, as some organisations have battened down the hatches and looked to cut costs across the board.
"However it is crucial that businesses take the time to regularly review, update and test their business continuity plans. This can now be done more efficiently and cost effectively than ever before. For example, we have seen an uplift in organisations using new tools to carry out testing remotely, sparing themselves the cost and time associated with visiting their recovery facilities for testing."
